NEAR EAST FORESTRY AND RANGE COMMISSION ...Eighteenth session Khartoum, Sudan 18-21 February 2008 Nineteenth session Hammamet, Tunisia 5-9 April 2010 Twentieth session Antalya, Turkey

REPORT

NEAR EAST FORESTRY AND RANGE COMMISSION

Twenty-third

Session

Beirut, Lebanon 11 – 14 December 2017

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

REPORT

of the

TWENTY-THIRD SESSION

of the

NEAR EAST FORESTRY AND RANGE COMMISSION

Beirut, Lebanon

11 – 14 December 2017

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Regional Office for the Near East

Cairo, 2017

PREVIOUS SESSIONS OF THE COMMISSION

First session Tehran, Iran 24-29 September 1955

Second session Cairo, Egypt 27 October –1 November 1958

Third session Adana, Turkey 30 April – 5 May 1962

Fourth session Beirut, Lebanon 15-22 June 1964

Fifth session Amman, Jordan 25-30 September 1967

Sixth session Tehran, Iran 25-30 April 1970

Seventh session Baghdad, Iraq 30 November – December 1974

Eighth session Khartoum, Sudan 23-28 February 1978

Ninth session Nicosia, Cyprus 6-10 June 1983

Tenth session Tunis, Tunisia 29 June – 3 July 1987

Eleventh session Ankara, Turkey 15-19 October 1990

Twelfth session Cairo, Egypt 21-24 October 1996

Thirteenth session Damascus, Syria 6-9 December 1998

Fourteenth session Tehran, Iran 1-4 July 2000

Fifteenth session Khartoum, Sudan 28-31 January 2002

Sixteenth session Beirut, Lebanon 24-27 May 2004

Seventeenth session Larnaka, Cyprus 5-9 June 2006

Eighteenth session Khartoum, Sudan 18-21 February 2008

Nineteenth session Hammamet, Tunisia 5-9 April 2010

Twentieth session Antalya, Turkey 29 January – 2 February 2012

Twenty first session Amman, Jordan 26-30 January 2014

Twenty second session Tlemcen, Algeria 13-17 December 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS i-v

Paragraphs

INTRODUCTION AND OPENING OF THE SESSION 1-6

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS 7-9

FAO AND COUNTRY ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION AND FOLLOW-UP

ON REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 22ND SESSION

OF THE COMMISSION 10-16

THE HIGH LEVEL PANEL OF EXPERTS ON FOOD SECURITY AND

NUTRITION (HLPE) REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY FOR

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 17-21

FRA 2020 AND EFFORTS FOR REDUCING REPORTING BURDEN BY

STREAMLINING INTERNATIONAL FOREST REPORTING 22-24

A NEW STRATEGIC DOCUMENT FOR FORESTS AND FORESTRY 25-27

OUTCOME OF THE GLOBAL POLICY PROCESSES OF RELEVANCE FOR THE

REGIONAL FORESTRY COMMISSIONS 28-31

ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION OF DRYLAND

FORESTS AND AGROSILVOPASTORAL SYSTEMS 32-37

RANGELANDS MANAGEMENT IN THE NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

(NENA) REGION 38-41

FOREST HEALTH IN THE NENA REGION 42-45

URBAN AND PERIURBAN FORESTRY 46-49

ACCESSING CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDS AND THE ROLE OF FAO 50-54

IMPLEMENTING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS,

INCLUDING THROUGH NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES

AND POLICIES 55-59

SILVA MEDITERRANEA 60-63

INPUT TO FAO GOVERNANCE 64-68

ANY OTHER BUSINESS 69-70

DATE AND PLACE OF THE NEXT SESSION 71

ADOPTION OF THE REPORT 72

CLOSURE OF THE 21ST SESSION 73-75

Pages

ANNEXES

ANNEX A - List of participants 10

ANNEX B - Technical Session Programme 11

ANNEX C - Provisional Agenda 17

ANNEX D - List of Documents 19 ANNEX E - NEFRC 22 recommendations and countries’ achievements 20

ANNEX F - NEFRC recommendations for the attention of COFO 21

ANNEX G - NEFRC Recommendation for the attention of the Regional Conference

for the Near East 22

ANNEX H - Recommendations for the FAO programme priorities in Forestry

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP i

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR THE ATTENTION OF

MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE COMMISSION

The Commission:

underscored the importance of identifying and understanding the root causes of deforestation

and rangelands degradation as a key step to address them to achieve sustainable management

and restoration of dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems.

noted countries’ and FAO’s ongoing initiatives, particularly in promoting restoration of

dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral landscapes and resource mobilization efforts through

the increased projects portfolio.

commended countries’ excellent collaboration with FAO, highlighting FAO’s technical

assistance for the ongoing initiatives and projects and the preparations for submission of

project proposals to the Green Climate Fund.

underscored the importance of identifying and understanding the root causes of deforestation

and rangelands degradation as a key step to address them to achieve sustainable management

and restoration of dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral system.

highlighted the importance of considering both the direct and indirect contributions of forest

to food security and nutrition, noting the importance of agroforestry and/or agrosilvopastoral

systems in sustaining food production and the need to integrate forests into the agrosilvo-

pastoral production systems.

highlighted the issue of encroachment on rangelands, including for mining activities and

tourism, and stressed on the need to rehabilitate the areas affected by mining activities and to

achieve a balance between the different uses.

invited countries to consider the recommendations of the High Level Panel of Experts

(HLPE) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and to take appropriate actions.

requested countries to participate actively in the Global Forest Resource Assessment (FRA)

2020 reporting process, including in the review and validation of the remote sensing

products.

supported FAO’s efforts for developing a new strategy for Forest and Forestry and requested

FAO to undertake broader consultations with all partners at all levels and to publicize the

Strategy document to inform countries strategic planning for their forestry sectors.

highlighted that the forest sector is subject to multiple international agendas and demands

from other sectors that are unclear, contradictory and make it difficult to implement

sustainable forest management.

called on countries to contribute actively to the global processes, including to promote and

monitor progress on the forest-related indicators and to report on progress during the High-

Level Political Forum review of SDG 15 in 2018.

invited countries to consider the recommendations of the Forest Action Day to foster enabling

environments for cooperation among multiple stakeholders; facilitate implementation of open

ii FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

access tools for monitoring forests and land use, such as Collect Earth; and recognize the

NDCs as an opportunity to mainstream REDD+ into national planning processes.

requested countries to continue their efforts in implementing sustainable forest management

and restoration as the forest sector’s contribution to the mainstreaming of biodiversity.

highlighted the importance of involvement of local communities; addressing land tenure

issues; establishing functional seed banks and enhancing knowledge on plant and tree genetic

resources, as key for successful implementation of sustainable management and restoration of

rangelands.

invited countries to enhance the work on dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems and to

nominate experts to participate in the COFO Working Group on Dryland Forests and

Agrosilvopastoral Systems.

encouraged countries to invest more in addressing land tenure, building capacities of

communities and supporting community action towards sustainable and participatory

management of rangelands.

recommended countries to implement assessment programmes to determine the extent of

rangelands in Near East and North Africa countries, their contribution to GDP and value their

goods and services including in food security and nutrition, carbon sequestration, annual feed

balance, job and income creation, poverty reduction, recreation and ecotourism.

requested members to review and their guidelines, policies and strategies on sustainable

management of forests and rangelands taking into consideration the SDGs.

highlighted the need for raising awareness of decision makers and citizens on the importance

and contributions of forests and rangelands to the achievement of SDGs in the countries and

requested members to increase the understanding of forest goods and services through

communication strategies and tools, including using tree planting campaigns and major

national and international events.

requested countries to encourage decision makers to prioritize investments in forestry and

rangelands programmes and to use the academia and universities for the assessment of the

socio-economic values of these resources.

encouraged countries to develop activities related to the youth and women entrepreneurship

in bioeconomy as a means to address the challenges faced by forests in the context of global

changes and to promote creating job opportunities.

highlighted interlinks between forest health questions and environmental degradation,

demographic pressure, land tenure issues, urban development, forest fires, and land use and

invited members to strengthen coordination efforts and collaboration between countries on

the issue of transboundary invasive species.

encouraged countries to strengthen their participation in the Near East Network on Forest

Health and Invasive Species (NENFHIS) and contribute to the activities of this network to

strengthen regional collaboration on forest health and control of invasive species in the

Region.

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP iii

stressed the need to focus more on the economic contribution of Urban and Periurban

Forestry (UPF) and to promote private sector investment, including in recreation and

ecotourism.

called on members to raise the awareness of policy makers and urban planners for promoting

the role of UPF as essential element of sustainable cities and in the implementation of

SDG11.

invited countries to promote integrated urban planning as a strategic tool for maintaining an

optimal balance between the green and the built environment and to boost investments in the

development and sustainable management of UPF.

invited countries to explore the possibility of developing national forest funds taking, as an

inspiring model, the experience of other members in this regard.

encouraged members to mobilize national resources for co-financing large-scale projects and

ensure investments sustainability to meet GCF and GEF-7 funding requirements.

encouraged countries engagement in the proposed GEF-7 Impact Program to address the

commitment under the Agadir Commitment and complement the countries’ baseline efforts

on the sustainable management of forests and rangelands.

iv FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR THE ATTENTION OF FAO

The Commission:

recommended that FAO support the organization of exchange visits to promote learning and

knowledge sharing to benefit from the technical experience and the successful resource

mobilization strategies of other countries.

recommended further engagement of FAO in providing technical assistance in accessing

financial mechanisms and instruments and mobilizing the required financial resources for the

development and implementation of forestry and rangelands related projects and initiatives,

including within the context of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), desertification control

and combating climate change effect in the Region.

requested FAO to identify, document and disseminate best practices regarding food security

mainstreaming in forestry.

requested FAO to integrate rangelands data into the dedicated online web platform under

development, and took note of the need to combine different assessment tools, including

satellite imagery, field inventories and observations to cover both quantitative and qualitative

assessment requirements and biodiversity.

praised FAO’s past efforts in the training of countries’ experts on forest assessment and

monitoring tools and methods such as Collect Earth and the support provided in the

preparation of the FRA reports and requested FAO to extend and intensify its technical and

financial support through additional training workshops and capacity development

programmes at country and regional levels on the use of these tools to help countries

undertaking periodic and frequent assessment and inventories of forests and rangelands in

support of their efforts for achieving sustainable forest and rangelands management.

supported FAO’s efforts for developing a new strategy for Forest and Forestry and requested

FAO to undertake broader consultations with all partners at all levels and to publicize the

Strategy document to inform countries strategic planning for their forest sectors.

stressed the need for coordination among partners to develop the Strategy, and to work

horizontally to integrate all forest-related sectors, including agriculture and rangelands,

noting that FAO Technical Committees may represent a suitable forum to build consensus

across sectors.

recommended COFO to consider, in collaboration with other FAO Technical

Committees, addressing the opportunities for translating the outcomes of the international

negotiations into concrete actions.

requested FAO to assist countries in strengthening their capacity to monitor forest-related

SDG indicators and in strengthening the wider contributions of forests to the SDGs. requested FAO to continue contributing to the Global Climate Action Agenda and to promote

forest related initiatives, projects and programmes at COP23 and support countries in the

development of forests and land use related proposals for the Green Climate Fund;

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP v

urged FAO to explore ways and means to help further enhance the forest sector’s

contribution to the mainstreaming of biodiversity;

called on FAO to support the task of United Nations Forum on Forestry (UNFF) including

through analytical work, such as the State of the World’s Forests and the Global Forest

Resources Assessment.

requested FAO to facilitate experience sharing between countries and other dryland regions

on successful practices and technologies for drylands forests and rangelands monitoring, their

sustainable management and restoration using quality seeds of adapted native species and

water harvesting techniques.

recommended that FAO undertake an analysis of resilience strategies and practices in

drylands by focusing on sustainable management and restoration of forests and rangelands

and their contribution to sustainable rural development in the Region.

requested FAO to support the development of seed banks for forest and rangelands native

species adapted to climate change for the sustainable provision of suitable material for large-

scale restoration of dryland forests and rangelands.

urged FAO to support countries in the development of a regional rangelands strategy and

adoption of a harmonized definition for rangelands in the Region.

called on FAO to support members to review and update their national forest and rangelands

policies/strategies and enhance capacities of national institutions and stakeholders in

restoration, sustainable management and development of rangelands.

recommended FAO to continue supporting NENFHIS in implementing its activities.

requested FAO to support regional collaboration in UPF through development of regional

networks and exchange of experiences.

The Commission welcomed FAO support to some countries in the Region in preparing and

implementing forests and rangeland related projects under the GEF and the GCF and

requested FAO to extend this support to other countries for the preparation of a project

portfolio on sustainable management and restoration of forests, rangelands and

agrosilvopastoral landscapes.

requested FAO to organize regional and national workshops to further develop the capacities

of the members on preparation of GCF and GEF-7 projects and impact programmes.

requested FAO to support countries in the preparation of forest and rangelands

communication strategies and enhance cross-sectoral dialogue to increase investments.

welcomed FAO’s support to some countries in the Region in aligning their national forest and

rangelands policies/strategies with the SDGs and requested FAO to extend this support to

other countries.

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP 1

INTRODUCTION AND OPENING OF THE SESSION

1. The Twenty-third Session of the Near East Forestry and Range Commission (NEFRC)

was held in Beirut, Lebanon, from 11 to 14 December 2017, at the kind invitation of the

Government of the Republic of Lebanon. The meeting attracted 40 participants for the

opening session. The Commission session was attended by 19 representatives from 13

member countries and 1 representative from global intergovernmental organizations. Annex A

provides a full list of NEFRC participants. The session was conducted in Arabic and English.

2. A technical session on forest health: “Implementation of phytosanitary standards in

forestry” was held during week. The session highlighted the linkages between trade in forest

products, international travel and climate change and the growing outbreak of forest invasive

species (pests, pathogens and plant invasive species) and underscored the importance of

regional collaboration, including through strengthening the work of the Near East Network

on Forest Health and Invasive Species (NENFHIS). The session introduced an e-learning

Training of Trainers (TOT) course on implementation of phytosanitary standards in forestry.

The programme is given in Annex B.

3. In his opening remarks Mr Abdelkader Yettou, outgoing Chairman of the Commission,

welcomed participants and thanked them for the trust they have given to him for chairing

NEFRC 22. He also thanked Lebanon for hosting the 23rd Session.

4. During the opening session, Mr Chadi Mohanna, Director, Rural Development and

Natural Resources Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture, Lebanon, made an overview

presentation of the forest sector in Lebanon. He highlighted the country efforts to increase the

total forest cover and to establish a National Forest Fund for the implementation of the

National Afforestation and Reforestation Programme.

5. Mr Hiroto Mitsugi, Assistant Director-General of the FAO Forestry Department,

expressed, on behalf of the Director-General, FAO’s gratitude to the Republic of Lebanon for

hosting the session. He praised Lebanon for its efforts in forest development and thanked the

Presidency for the ceremony held the day before on the occasion of the inauguration of the

country’s 2017-2018 Tree Planting Campaign. He underlined the importance of forest and

rangelands ecosystems in the provision of multiple goods and services and urged member

countries to ensure nominating their experts to the COFO Working Group on Drylands

Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems. Mr Mitsugi also recalled FAO’s work in promoting

forest and landscape restoration in the drylands and noted FAO’s support to countries in

achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and developing their national

adaptation plans.

6. His Excellency Mr Ghazi Zeaitar, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lebanon

opened the Twenty-third Session of the Commission. He expressed his Government’s

pleasure to host the Session and voiced his country’s commitment to address the negative

effects of climate change through its various ongoing afforestation programmes in

collaboration with all sectors of the society (private sector, research and scientific

institutions, etc.). He also indicated his country’s commitment to achieve the Land

Degradation Neutrality (LDN). He called for stronger commitment from member countries

and invited NEFRC members to strengthen their collaboration through exchange of

experiences and expertise.

2 FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA (Item 1)

7. Under the guidance of Mr Abdelkader Yettou, the provisional agenda

(FO:NEFRC/2017/1/Rev.1) was adopted (see Annex C). The documents considered by the

Commission are listed in Annex D.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS (Item 2)

8. In accordance with the provisions of Rules II-1 and II-5 of its Rules of Procedure, the

Commission elected the Chair, two Vice-Chairs and one Rapporteur. The composition of the

Bureau is as follows:

Chairman: Mr Chadi Mohanna (Lebanon)

1st Vice-Chairperson: Mr Osman Omer Abdalla (Sudan)

2nd Vice-Chairperson: Ms Ozlem Yavuz (Turkey)

Rapporteur: Mr Mohammed Moqbel Taher Mareai (Yemen)

9. Mr Abdelhamied Adam Hamid, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for the

Near East, Cairo, served as Secretary of the Commission.

FAO AND COUNTRY ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION AND FOLLOW-UP ON

REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 22ND SESSION OF THE

COMMISSION (Item 3)

10. The Secretariat presented an overview of FAO and countries’ forestry and rangelands

activities in the Region. Outlining those activities that took place during 2016-2017 in

response to the recommendations of the 22nd session of the NEFRC, the Secretariat noted the

low number of country reports (8) submitted on measures taken to implement last session’s

recommendations. A summary of countries’ reports is presented in Annex E.

11. The Commission noted countries’ and FAO’s ongoing initiatives, particularly in

promoting restoration of dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral landscapes and in resource

mobilization efforts through the increased projects portfolio.

12. Members commended their excellent collaboration with FAO, highlighting FAO’s

technical assistance for the ongoing initiatives and projects and the preparations for

submission of project proposals to the Green Climate Fund.

13. Members also underscored the importance of identifying and understanding the root

causes of deforestation and rangelands degradation as a key step to address them to achieve

sustainable management and restoration of dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems.

14. Member countries highlighted their successful experiences in the use of treated waste

water in afforestation and reforestation programmes. Some informed about their years of

experience in mapping and assessing past and ongoing reclamation projects, green belts

establishment and restoration programmes.

15. Furthermore, countries recommended that FAO support the organization of exchange

visits to promote learning and knowledge sharing to benefit from the technical experience

and the successful resource mobilization strategies of other countries.

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP 3

16. The Commission recommended further engagement of FAO in providing technical

assistance in accessing financial mechanisms and instruments and mobilizing the required

financial resources for the development and implementation of forestry and rangelands

related projects and initiatives, including under the context of LDN, desertification control

and combating climate change effect in the region.

THE HIGH LEVEL PANEL OF EXPERTS ON FOOD SECURITY AND

NUTRITION (HLPE) REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY FOR FOOD

SECURITY AND NUTRITION (Item 4)

17. The Commission welcomed the HLPE Report, which highlighted the centrality of food

security and nutrition to the core work of FAO and indicated that sustainable management of

forests is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2. The Commission also

underscored the importance of raising awareness on the role of forests for the four

dimensions of food security and nutrition.

18. Countries highlighted the importance of considering both the direct and indirect

contributions of forest to food security and nutrition, noting the importance of agroforestry

and agrosilvopastoral systems in sustaining food production and the need to integrate forests

into the agrosilvo-pastoral production systems. The role of non-wood forest products in food

security and income and employment generation in the Region was also highlighted.

19. Countries also highlighted the issue of encroachment on rangelands, including for

mining activities and tourism, and stressed on the need to rehabilitate the areas affected by

mining activities and to achieve a balance between the different uses.

20. The Commission invited countries to consider the recommendations of the High Level

Panel of Experts (HLPE) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and to take

appropriate actions.

21. The Commission requested FAO to identify, document and disseminate best practices

regarding food security mainstreaming in forestry.

FRA 2020 AND EFFORTS FOR REDUCING REPORTING BURDEN BY

STREAMLINING INTERNATIONAL FOREST REPORTING (Item 5)

22. The Commission took note of the process and status of implementation of the Global

Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) 2020, in particular the dedicated online web platform

under development. Members requested FAO to integrate rangelands data into the platform,

and took note of the need to combine different assessment tools, including satellite imagery,

field inventories and observations to cover both quantitative and qualitative assessment

requirements and biodiversity.

23. The Commission praised FAO’s past efforts in the training of countries’ experts on

forest assessment and monitoring tools and methods such as Collect Earth and the support

provided in the preparation of the FRA reports. The Commission requested FAO to extend

and intensify its technical and financial support through additional training workshops and

capacity development programmes at country and regional levels on the use of these tools to

help countries undertaking periodic and frequent assessment and inventories of forests and

rangelands in support of their efforts for achieving sustainable forest and rangelands

management.

4 FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

24. The Commission requested countries to participate actively in the FRA 2020 reporting

process, including in the review and validation of the remote sensing products.

A NEW STRATEGIC DOCUMENT FOR FORESTS AND FORESTRY (Item 6)

25. The document highlighted the outcome of the XIV World Forestry Congress, in

particular the possible implementation of the 2050 Vision for Forests and Forestry and

recalled FAO strategic objectives, FAO Common Vision for Sustainable Food and

Agriculture and the FAO Strategy for Climate Change.

26. Countries supported FAO’s efforts for developing a new strategy for Forest and

Forestry and requested FAO to undertake broader consultations with all partners at all levels

and to publicize the Strategy document to inform countries’ strategic planning for their forest

sectors.

27. Countries stressed the need for coordination among partners to develop the Strategy,

and to work horizontally to integrate all forest-related sectors, including agriculture and

rangelands, noting that FAO Technical Committees may represent a suitable forum to build

consensus across sectors.

OUTCOME OF THE GLOBAL POLICY PROCESSES OF RELEVANCE FOR THE

REGIONAL FORESTRY COMMISSIONS (Item 7)

28. The Commission took note of the forest-related outcomes of the global processes

presented by the Secretariat and highlighted that the forest sector is subject to multiple

international agendas and demands from other sectors that are unclear, contradictory and

make it difficult to implement sustainable forest management.

29. The Commission requested countries to:

contribute actively to the global processes, including to promote and monitor progress

on the forest-related indicators and to report on progress during the High-Level Political

Forum review of SDG 15 in 2018;

consider the recommendations of the Forest Action Day to foster enabling

environments for cooperation among multiple stakeholders; facilitate implementation of open

access tools for monitoring forests and land use, such as Collect Earth; and recognize the

NDCs as an opportunity to mainstream REDD+ into national planning processes;

continue their efforts in implementing sustainable forest management and restoration as

the forest sector’s contribution to the mainstreaming of biodiversity.

30. The Commission recommended COFO to consider, in collaboration with other FAO

Technical Committees, addressing the opportunities for translating the outcomes of the

international negotiations into concrete actions.

31. The Commission requested FAO to:

assist countries in strengthening their capacity to monitor forest-related SDG indicators

and in strengthening the wider contributions of forests to the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs);

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP 5

continue contributing to the Global Climate Action Agenda and to promote forest

related initiatives, projects and programmes at COP23 and support as well countries in the

development of forests and land use related proposals for the GCF;

explore ways and means to help further enhance the forest sector’s contribution to the

mainstreaming of biodiversity;

support the task of the United Nations Forum on Forestry (UNFF) including through

analytical work, such as the State of the World’s Forests and the Global Forest Resources

Assessment.

ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION OF DRYLAND FORESTS

AND AGROSILVOPASTORAL SYSTEMS (Item 8)

32. Members took note of FAO’s Global Drylands Assessment and countries’ experiences

in developing rangelands strategies and highlighted the need for capacity development and

south-south cooperation in this regard.

33. The Commission requested FAO to facilitate experience sharing between countries and

other dryland regions on successful practices and technologies for drylands forests and

rangelands monitoring, their sustainable management and restoration using quality seeds of

adapted native species and water harvesting techniques.

34. Members also highlighted the importance of involvement of local communities;

addressing land tenure issues; establishing functional seed banks and enhancing knowledge

on plant and tree genetic resources, as key for successful implementation of sustainable

management and restoration of rangelands.

35. The Commission invited countries to enhance the work on dryland forests and

agrosilvopastoral systems and to nominate experts to participate in the COFO Working

Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems.

36. The Commission recommended FAO to undertake an analysis of resilience strategies

and practices in drylands by focusing on sustainable management and restoration of forests

and rangelands and their contribution to sustainable rural development in the Region.

37. The Commission requested FAO to support the development of seed banks for forest

and rangelands native species adapted to climate change for the sustainable provision of

suitable material for large-scale restoration of dryland forests and rangelands.

RANGELANDS MANAGEMENT IN THE NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

(NENA) REGION (Item 9)

38. The Secretariat highlighted the importance of rangelands in the NENA Region, as source

of animal feed and livelihoods of millions of people. The Secretariat emphasized the

knowledge gap on pastoral systems, the multiplicity of concerned actors and institutions, lack

of inter-sectoral coordination and lack of investments.

39. The Commission urged FAO to support countries in the development of a regional

rangelands strategy and adoption of a harmonized definition for rangelands in the Region and

encouraged countries to invest more on addressing land tenure, building capacities of

6 FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

communities and supporting community actions towards sustainable and participatory

management of rangelands.

40. The Commission recommended countries to implement assessment programmes to

determine the extent of rangelands in NENA countries, their contribution to Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) and value their goods and services including in food security and nutrition,

carbon sequestration, annual feed balance, job and income creation, poverty reduction,

recreation and ecotourism.

41. The Commission requested FAO to support members to review and update their national

forest and rangelands policies/strategies and enhance capacities of national institutions and

stakeholders in restoration, sustainable management and development of rangelands.

FOREST HEALTH IN THE NENA REGION (Item 10)

42. Countries took note of the climate-driven issues on invasive species, forest dieback and

decline, with further aggravation from human activities. Countries highlighted interlinks

between forest health questions and environmental degradation, demographic pressure, land

tenure issues, urban development, forest fires, and land use.

43. The Commission invited members to strengthen coordination efforts and collaboration

between countries on the issue of transboundary invasive species.

44. The Commission encouraged countries to strengthen their participation in the Near East

Network on Forest Health and Invasive Species (NENFHIS) and contribute to the activities

of this network to strengthen regional collaboration on forest health and control of invasive

species in the Region.

45. The Commission requested FAO to continue supporting NENFHIS in implementing its

activities.

URBAN AND PERIURBAN FORESTRY (Item 11)

46. Countries took note of the challenges associated with the growing urbanization in the

Region, and the potential of Urban and Periurban Forestry (UPF) to address these challenges

and provide a wide range of goods and services.

47. Countries stressed the need to focus more on the economic contribution of Urban and

Periurban Forestry and to promote private sector investment, including in recreation and

ecotourism.

48. The Commission called on members to raise the awareness of policy makers and urban

planners for promoting the role of UPF as essential element of sustainable cities and in the

implementation of SDG11, and requested FAO to support regional collaboration in UPF

through the development of regional networks and exchange of experiences.

49. The Commission invited countries to promote integrated urban planning as a strategic

tool for maintaining an optimal balance between the green and the built environment and to

boost investments in the development and sustainable management of UPF.

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP 7

ACCESSING CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDS AND THE ROLE OF FAO (Item 12)

50. The Commission took note of the important opportunities offered by the Green Climate

Fund (GCF) and the GEF-7 replenishments to scale up climate finance and support countries

in the Region to reach their commitments in the NDCs, particularly in the Forest and

Rangelands sectors.

51. The Commission welcomed FAO’s support to some countries in the Region in

preparing and implementing forests and rangeland related projects under the Global

Environment Fund (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund and requested FAO to extend this

support to other countries for the preparation of a project portfolio on sustainable

management and restoration of forests, rangelands and agrosilvopastoral landscapes.

52. The Commission also requested FAO to organize regional and national workshops to

further develop the capacities of the members in preparation of GCF and GEF-7 projects and

impact programmes.

53. The Commission encouraged members to mobilize national resources for co-financing

large-scale projects and ensure investments sustainability to meet GCF and GEF-7 funding

requirements.

54. The Commission invited countries to explore the possibility of developing national

forest funds taking, as an inspiring model, the experience of other members in this regard.

IMPLEMENTING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, INCLUDING

THROUGH NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES AND POLICIES (Item 13)

55. The Commission requested members to review and update their guidelines, policies and

strategies on sustainable management of forests and rangelands taking into consideration the

SDGs.

56. The Commission highlighted the need for raising awareness of decision makers and

citizens on the importance and contributions of forests and rangelands to the achievement of

SDGs in the countries.

57. The Commission requested members to increase the understanding of forest goods and

services through communication strategies and tools, including using tree planting campaigns

and major national and international events; encourage decision makers to prioritize

investments in forestry and rangelands programmes; and to use the academia and universities

for the assessment of the socio-economic values of these resources.

58. The Commission requested FAO to support countries in the preparation of forest and

rangelands communication strategies and enhance cross-sectoral dialogue to increase

investments.

59. The Commission welcomed FAO’s support to some countries in the Region in aligning

their national forest and rangelands policies/strategies with the SDGs and requested FAO to

extend this support to other countries.

8 FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

SILVA MEDITERRANEA (Item 14)

60. Countries took note of the activities of the five working groups of Silva Mediterranea

(forest fire, forest genetic resources, non-wood forest products, urban and peri-urban forestry,

desertification and restoration) and of its taskforce on forest management and sustainable

development.

61. Countries took also note of the Fifth Mediterranean Forest Week held in March 2017 in

Agadir, Morocco and its focus on the topic of restoration of Mediterranean forests and

landscapes and the adoption of Agadir Commitment as the main outcome of the Week.

62. The Commission encouraged countries to develop activities related to the youth and

women entrepreneurship in bioeconomy as a means to address the challenges faced by forests

in the context of global changes and to promote the creation of job opportunities.

63. The Commission encouraged countries to develop projects/programmes on forest and

landscape restoration and to request FAO’s support in this regard.

INPUT TO FAO GOVERNANCE (Item 15)

64. The Secretariat presented a template for providing coordinated input to the agenda of

the FAO Committee on Forestry, the FAO Regional Conference and for the FAO Programme

of Work in Forestry and recalled the recommendations made by the Commission in the

course of its deliberations.

65. The Chairman of the Commission presented the proposal of the Executive Committee

for the recommendations for the agendas of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East

and the FAO Committee on Forestry.

66. The Commission made recommendations for the agenda of the FAO Committee on

Forestry as contained in Annex F.

67. The Commission also considered recommendations to the FAO Regional Conference

for the Near East as contained in Annex G.

68. Regarding the Commission’s recommendations for the FAO programme priorities in

Forestry, the Commission requested the Secretariat to compile the recommendations made by

the Commission during the session, establish linkages between these recommendations and

the Strategic Objectives of FAO, and attach the compilation to this report as in Annex H.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS (Item 16)

69. The Commission took note of the proposed GEF-7 Impact Program on landscape

restoration with its focus on sustainable forest management as a crosscutting topic in

addressing three GEF focal areas; biodiversity, climate change and land degradation which

are of particular relevance for the Mediterranean forests and rangelands. Countries also took

note on the possibility to raise additional funds on top of their national projects allocation,

using global set aside funds.

70. The Commission encouraged countries engagement in the proposed GEF-7 Impact

Program to address their commitment under the Agadir Commitment and complement the

countries’ baseline efforts on the sustainable management of forests and rangelands.

FO:NEFRC/2017/REP 9

DATE AND PLACE OF THE NEXT SESSION (Item 17)

71. The Commission welcomed the generous offers of the Government of the Republic of

the Sudan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to host the 24th Session of the

Near East Forestry and Range Commission. The Commission requested the NEFRC

Secretariat to consider these proposals when deciding on the date and venue of the next

session, in consultation with member Governments in the Region.

ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE 23rd SESSION (Item 18)

72. The Committee adopted the report as amended.

CLOSURE OF THE SESSION

73. Mr Maurice Saade, FAO Representative in Lebanon thanked the host country and its

Ministry for Agriculture for the excellent host arrangements, as well as the Chairman for

setting the favourable conditions to convene the sessions. He expressed his appreciation to

the country and organizations representatives, who held valuable discussions around the

themes of the session and produced challenging set of recommendations. He highlighted the

need for countries within the Region to collaborate and share expertise and resources and to

strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration and partnership for achieving the SDGs, the NDCs

and the other global commitments.

74. Mr Chadi Mohanna, in his capacity as representative of Lebanon, also thanked the

national organizing team, the participants and the FAO Secretariat for the good collaboration

in organizing the Session.

75. The Chairman closed the session at 14.50 hours.

10 FO:NEFRC/2017/REP

ANNEX A

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

ALGERIA

Chaib Saadoun

Central Inspector

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Rural

Development

General Directorate of Forestry

Alger, Algeria

Tel: 0791968948

Email: [email protected]

EGYPT

Maha Farouk Mohamed Ismail

Head of Forest & Wood Trees Dept.

Horticulture Research Institute

Agriculture Research Center

Cairo, Egypt

Mobile: +201204118865 -01003516990


IRAN

Bahram Ali Naseri

Director of Caspian Forest Tree Seed centre

P.O.Box 416, Mazandaran – Iran PC4634176111

Tel: +98-11-44 83 23 57

Fax: +98-11-55226526


IRAQ

Rawia mozal Mahmoud

Senior Prime Agricultural Engineers

Ministry of Agriculture Baghdad, Iraq

Tel: 0790717739


JORDAN

Ali Abu Hamour

Ministry of Agriculture

Amman, Jordan

Tel: +962799059191

Fax: +96265686310

E-mail: [email protected]

LEBANON

Chadi Mohanna

Director of Rural Development and Natural

Resources


Jnah – Lebanon

Tel: +916 3456794

Fax: +961 1849621


Dahej ElMokdad

Head of Division of Forestry


Jnah – Lebanon

Tel: +916 3602794

Fax: +961 1849621


Zeina Tamim

Chief department Rangelands & Public Gardens


Jnah – Lebanon

Tel: +916 3943161

Fax: +961 1849621


Elene Ayoub

Forest Engineer


Jnah – Lebanon

Tel: +916 1849622 / 621

Fax: +961 1849621


Sylva Koteiche

Head of Reforestation and Exploitation Department

Ministry of Agriculture- Lebanon

Tel +9613883701


[email protected]

MAURITANIA

Ethmane ould boubacar

Directeur Adjoint de la Protection de la Nature

Ministère de l’Environnement et du Développement

Durable

Tel: +222 22 17 47 74

Fax +222 45 24 31 39


MOROCCO

Said Moukram

Service des Parcours Forestiers et Sylvopastroraux

Ministere de L’Agriculture de la Peche Maritime du

Developpement Ryral et des Eaux et Forets

Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forets et a la Lutte

Contre la Desetification

Tel: +212 537 674 354 / +212 665 279 897

Fax: + 212 537 670 097


SUDAN

Osama Omer Abdalla

mailto:[email protected]













FO:NEFRC/2017/REP 11

Chief of Technical Sector on Forest National

Corporation

Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Khartoum, Sudan

Tel: +249- 912944989

Fax: +249-183- 472659


[email protected]

Fatima Siddig AlHadi Mohammed

Animal Resource-Range & Pasture general Directorate

Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Khartoum, Sudan

Tel: +249- 0911324365 -116438024


TUNISIA Salem Trigui

FORESTS GENERAL DIRECTORATE

Minister of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and

Fisheries of Tunisia.

Tunisia , Tunis

Tel 00216 25576554

Email [email protected]

TURKEY Ozlem Yavuz

Head of Departments

Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs

Ankara, Turkey

Tel: +90 312 207 5774

Fax: +90 312 207 5756


Yunus Gunes

Deputy Head of Departments

Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs

Ankara, Turkey

Tel: +90 312 296 3473

Fax: +90 312 296 3470


UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Haytham Tabesh

Economic Researcher

Embassy of United Arab of Emirates

Beirut, Lebanon

Tel: 961 5 928000

Fax: 961 5 928009

Mob: 961 71 260028


YEMEN Mohammed Moqbel Taher Mareai

Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation

Sana’a, Yemen

Tel: + 967-771843022

E mail: [email protected]

ORGANIZATIONS

IUCN

Ziad Samaha

Programme Manager, Marine and Coastal Zone

Management

IUCN ROWA

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature)

Beirut, Lebanon

Tel:00961 3 933707

Fax +962 6 554 6915


Chairman NEFRC22

AbdelKader Yettou

Alger, Algeria

Tel: 0661 51 74 31


FAO SECRETARIAT

FAO HQ

Hiroto Mitsugi

Assistant Director General, FOD

Rome, Italy

Tel: +390657055978


Nicolas Picard

Forestry Officer

Rome, Italy

Tel: +390657054265


Nora Berrahmouni

Forestry Officer

Rome, Italy

Tel: +390657052938


Shiroma Sathyapala

Forestry Officer

Rome, Italy

Tel: +390657053373


Jeffrey Griffin

Senior Coordinator, TCID

GEF Coordination Unit

Rome, Italy

Tel: +390657055680


Dominique Rozas

Liaison and Meetings Officer

Rome, Italy

Tel: +390657052630


FAO SNE

Nabil Assaf

TECHNICAL OFFICER/FAOR,

Alger, Algeria

Tel: +213-661-700827


FAO RNE

















AbdelHamied Hamid

Senior Forestry Officer

Cairo, Egypt

Tel: +20233316000

Fax : +37495981


Malek Hayder

International Consultant

E-Mail: [email protected]

Tel: +202-33316000

Myriam Aziz

Technical Programme Assistance

Cairo, Egypt


Tel: +202-33316000





ANNEX B

TECHNICAL SESSION PROGRAMME

on

Strengthen country capacity to reduce pest presence and to prevent pest spread

through train the trainers workshop on implementation of the

Guide to implementation of phytosanitary standards in forestry

Wednesday 13 December

Time Topic Facilitator/presenter

9:00 – 11:00 Visit Shouf biosphere reserve and a Municipal

pine forest – open discussion on major pests on

Lebanese pines; history, extent, causes and

control measures.

Mr Mohamed Ben Jamaa,

Secretary Near East Network

on Forest Health and Invasive

Species (NENFHIS)

Thursday 14 December

9:00 – 9:05 Opening remarks Mr AbdelHamied A Hamid,

Senior Forestry Officer, RNE

9:05 – 9:30 Strengthening NENFHIS work Mr Mohamed Ben Jamaa,

Secretary NENFHIS

9:30 – 10:30 Good practices for forest health protection

Ms Shiroma Sathyapala,

Forest Health and Protection

Officer, Forestry Department,

Rome

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:00 Trade in forest commodities and the role of

phytosanitary measures

Ms Shiroma Sathyapala

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch

http://www.fao.org/forestry/foresthealthguide/82419/en/


ANNEX C

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

1. Opening and Adoption of the Agenda

2. Election of Officers

3. FAO and Country Activities in the Region and Follow-up on Requests and Recommendations

of the 22nd Session of the NEFRC

4. The High-Level Panel of Expert on Food Security and Nutrition Report on Sustainable

Forestry for Food Security and Nutrition

5. Forest Resources Assessment 2020 and Efforts for Reducing Reporting Burden by

Streamlining International Forest-related Reporting

6. A New Strategic Document for Forests and Forestry

7. Outcome of the Global Policy Processes of Relevance for the Regional Forestry Commissions

8. Assessment, Management and Restoration of Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems

9. Rangelands Management in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) Region

10. Forest Health in the NENA region

11. Urban & Periurban Forestry

12. Accessing Climate Change Funds

13. Implementing the SDGs Including through National Forestry Programmes

14. Silva Mediterranea

15. Input to FAO Governance

16. Any Other Business

17. Date and Place of Next Session

18. Adoption of the Report and Closure of the Session


ANNEX D

LIST OF DOCUMENTS

FO:NEFRC/2017/1

Provisional Agenda

FO:NEFRC/2017/2 FAO and Country Activities in the Region and Follow-up on

Requests and Recommendations of the 22nd Session of the NEFRC

FO:NEFRC/2017/3 The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition

Report on Sustainable Forestry for Food Security and Nutrition

FO:NEFRC/2017/4 FRA 2020 and Efforts for Reducing Reporting Burden by

Streamlining International Forest Reporting

FO:NEFRC/2017/5 A New Strategic Document for Forests and Forestry

FO:NEFRC/2017/6 Input to FAO Governance

FO:NEFRC/2017/7 Outcome of the Global Policy Processes of Relevance for the

Regional Forestry Commissions

FO:NEFRC/2017/8 Rangelands Management in the NENA Region

FO:NEFRC/2017/9 Forest Health in the Near East and North Africa Region

FO:NEFRC/2017/10 Urban & Periurban Forestry

FO:NEFRC/2017/11 Silva Mediterranea Progress Report

FO:NEFRC/2017/12 Accessing Climate Change Funds and the Role of FAO

FO:NEFRC/2017/13 Assessment, Management and Restoration of Dryland Forests and

Agrosilvopastoral Systems

FO:NEFRC/2017/14 Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, including

through National Forest Programmes and Policies

FO:NEFRC/2017/Inf.1 Information Note for Participants

FO:NEFRC/2017/Inf.2 Provisional Timetable

FO:NEFRC/2017/Inf.3 List of Documents


ANNEX E

NEFRC 22 recommendations and countries’ achievements

Recommendations made by the Near East

Forestry and Range Commission, Session 22

Activities linked to the recommendations

Other activities1

1. The Commission Suggested that countries

formulate projects and programmes with a greater

focus on climate change issues and with particular

emphasis on adaptation due to its high relevance for

forests and rangelands in the NENA region and to

access multilateral funding.

• With the assistance of FAO, Lebanon has two

ongoing projects focusing on climate change

adaptation; the FLRM phase two and the

SALMA project.

• The National Forest Seed Center of Lebanon,

which under establishment with FAO support,

will focus of the provision of native tree,

shrubs and rangeland plant seeds to be used in

new reforestation and rangeland enrichment

project

• Qatar has number of projects addressing

climate change, including though the

rehabilitation of Mangroves forests on Qatar

coastal areas, conservation and rehabilitation

of endangered native plant species &

Rehabilitation of “Raud الروض” using

indigenous species.

• Egypt is putting great efforts in establishment

of shelterbelts, windbreaks and promotion of

agroforestry to enhance adaptation of

agriculture to climate change.

• Libya is implementing a nation-wide

rangelands development project for the

rangelands rehabilitation. The project focuses

on climate adaptation by planting native

drought tolerant range plant species.

Additional project was also formulated with support

from French Development Agency (AFD) with

large scale reforestation components focusing on

social and climate related issues .

1 Any other activities led by the country of relevance to the subject recommendation


2. The Commission agreed to consider the proposed

C&I for sustainable management of forest and

rangelands as an umbrella framework and requested

countries to undertake national consultations, given

each country context, and recommended each country

to identify those indicators that are already used at the

national level, indicate potential indicators that could

be applied as well as report on the results of testing

their application in country selected pilot sites

• Lebanon organized a national workshop on

adopting the framework C&Is for sustainable

forest and range management to the country

context. The workshop was held as part of the

Technical days of the Forest and Landscape

Restoration Mechanism Project.

3. The Commission encouraged countries to update

their forest and rangelands policies and strategies,

integrate them with other sectors, and demonstrate

the economic and social contribution of forests and

rangelands to national development and further

recommended countries to strengthen the linkages of

their policies and strategies with climate change and

other emerging concerns2, in order to better

communicate and attract interest of decision makers,

investors, and multilateral funds

• Lebanon has recently developed its National

Forest Program 2015-2025 and is updating the

law relevant to Forests and Rangelands.

• Lebanon has also enacted a National

Reforestation and Afforestation Programme

(NARP) that aims at increasing the country

forest cover from 13% of its total area

(currently) to 20% over a period of 20 years

• Jordan had developed a rangelands strategy

that support the revitalization of traditional

rangelands management systems “Hima”.

• Jordan is also developing, with support from

FAO, a national forest policy and undertaking

as well a forest legislation revision.

• Egypt is planning to prepare a new forest law.

Number of countries are engaged in LDN targets

setting which brings rangelands and forestry

development related issues to the forefront at

country national agenda.

.

4. Recommended that member countries undertake

measures for strengthening their national

development efforts, including through the inclusive

participation of local communities and reforms of

policy and legal frameworks to create favourable

conditions for private financing in the forest sector

for small and large scale forest enterprises

• Lebanon is developing a National Forest Fund

through establishment of crowd funding

platform to mobilize funds from private

sector, Lebanese Diasporas and international

donor for afforestation/ reforestation projects.

.

5. Recommended countries to share experiences and

improve communication on forests, gender and youth

• Jordan has established a specialized academy

for training on the protection of nature and

2 Reference could be made to forestry in the country NDCs for UFCCC and/or in the national LDN goals for UNCCD


initiatives to improve the understanding of these

themes in the field of forests and rangelands and

suggested the sensitization of local communities via

forest extension and the creation of e-learning

materials to improve forest education

sustainable development under the auspicious

of HRH Crown Prince Hussein; “Royal

Academy for Nature Conservation”which

has a special visual and e-training/online

awareness and training curriculum.

• Through the EU funded “Agriculture and

Rural Development Programme Project”, the

approach of a global managed reforestation

projects at local level showed good experience

and message on reforestation and gender

6. The commission suggested that countries engage

youth in country-level initiatives including on forest

monitoring, inventories and the collection of data,

and to create incentives for youth to participate in

diversified forestry education programmes.

• Lebanon, Libya and Jordan reported

involvement of youth and schools in their

reforestation projects annual tree planting

programmes


ANNEX F

NEFRC recommendations for the attention of COFO

Priority issues for COFO to consider Expected outcome (information/discussion/decision)

Possible follow up activities for COFO and FAO

RFC

Mainstreaming biodiversity Discussion/decision NEFRC, NAFC, EFC, APFC

Forests for food security Including agroforestry, agrosilvopastoral, NWFPS

Discussion/decision NAFC, EFC, APFC, NEFRC

Urban and Preiurban Forestry (special attention to the role of youth and women as well as to coordination between those in charge of urban planning and UPF)

Discussion/decision NEFRC, NAFC, EFC

Identify, document and disseminate best practices regarding food security mainstreaming in forestry

Discussion/decision NEFRC, NAFC, EFC, APFC

Contribute to the Global Climate Action Agenda and promote forest related initiatives at COP23

Discussion/decision NEFRC

Addressing, in collaboration with other FAO Technical Committees, the opportunities for translating the outcomes of the international negotiations into concrete actions


Supporting the work of UNFF including through analytical work, such as the State of the World’s Forests and the Global Forest Resources Assessment


Capacity enhancement for reviewing/updating forest and rangelands policies/strategies and for restoration & sustainable management of forest and rangelands


Analysis of resilience strategies and practices in drylands by focusing on sustainable management and restoration of forests and rangelands and their contribution to sustainable rural development


FRA and related capacity building/ Global set of C&I Discussion/decision NEFRC, NAFC, EFC, APFC

Capacity building for accessing CC funds (GEF7, GCF, REDD+ and related investment planning

Discussion/decision NEFRC, APFC

Integrating rangelands data into FRA planning and implementation


Forest and landscape restoration (Agadir Commitment) Discussion/decision NEFRC, APFC

Fire management Discussion/decision NEFRC (NAFC)


ANNEX G

NEFRC Recommendation for the attention of the Regional Conference for the Near East

Priority issues Expected outcomes (information, discussion, decision)

Possible follow up activities by FAO

highlight that the forest sector is subject to multiple international agendas and demands from other sectors that are unclear, contradictory and make it difficult to implement sustainable forest management

Information/discussion

Consider the development of a regional rangelands strategy and a harmonized definition for rangelands in the Region and encourage investment on addressing land tenure issues and supporting community action towards sustainable and participatory management of rangelands

Discussion/decision

Enhance the work on dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems and encourage nomination of national experts to participate in the COFO Working Group on Dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems

Discussion/decision

Strengthen coordination efforts and collaboration on forest health and control of transboundary invasive species

Discussion/decision

Promote integrated urban planning that maintain optimal balance between the green and the built environment and encourage investments in the development and sustainable management of Urban and Periurban Forestry

Discussion/decision


Annex H

Recommendations for the FAO programme priorities in Forestry

Area/action for FAO programme of

work

Priority (High,

Medium, low,

De-emphasis

Type

(new,

continued)

Level of

action (sub-

regional,

regional,

global)

Strategic

Objectives

(1–5)

Support the organization of exchange

visits to promote learning and

knowledge sharing to benefit from the

technical experience and the successful

resource mobilization strategies of other

countries

New Regional SO2

Identify, document and disseminate best

practices regarding food security

mainstreaming in forestry

New global SO1

Capacity development on assessment

tools and strengthen their usability to

support sustainable forest and

rangelands management

New Regional SO2

Strengthen countries’ capacities to

monitor forest-related SDG indicators

and in strengthening the wider

contributions of forests to the SDGs

High New Global SO2

Facilitate experience sharing between

countries across dryland regions on

successful practices and technologies for

drylands forests and rangelands

monitoring, their sustainable

management and restoration using

quality seed of adapted native species

and water harvesting techniques

high New Global SO2

Support the development of seed banks

for adapted forest and rangelands native

species for sustainable provision of

adapted material for large-scale

restoration of dryland forests and

rangelands

High New Regional SO2

Continue supporting the Near East

Network on Forest Health and Invasive

Species in the implementation of its

activities


Support countries in the preparation of

communication activities and enhance

cross-sectoral dialogue to increase

investments

Medium New Regional SO2

Capacity support in aligning national

forest and rangelands policies with the

SDGs

High Continued Regional SO2

Develop countries Capacitates in

preparation of GCF and GEF-7 projects

and impact programmes



Provide technical support in accessing

the required financial resources and

mechanisms to support implementation

of the developed reforestation and

restoration plans.

Medium New regional

Technical assistance for the

development and implementation of

forestry and rangelands related projects

and initiatives, including in the context

of the increasing land degradation,

desertification and climate change in the

Region

High Continued Regional SO2


MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

Afghanistan

Algeria

Cyprus

Egypt

Ethiopia

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Lebanon

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Mauritania

Morocco

Oman

Pakistan

Qatar

Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)

Somalia

Sudan

Syrian Arab Republic

Tajikistan

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Uzbekistan

Yemen